1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices associated with seat belts, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for securing a motor vehicle seat belt in an extended configuration to assist a person in securing a child seat or similar device in an automobile seat.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Automobile seat belts have been a mandatory item in automobiles for several decades, and statistical studies show that their proper use saves lives and prevents injuries that may have been otherwise incurred because of a sudden stop or a collision.
Also mandatory in almost all of the United States is the use of a “baby seat” or booster seat in automobiles for very young passengers. In the State of California, for example, the law requires an infant up to a certain age and size to be placed in a baby seat behind the front seat when riding in a motor vehicle. At a certain point, a child is still required to ride in a “booster seat” up until the age of six years or until the child reaches sixty pounds in weight. As with the baby seat, it is required that the booster seat be secured behind the front seat, so that up to a certain age and/or size, a child is not lawfully allowed to ride in the front seat of a motor vehicle. There are also specially designed seats for securing handicapped or special needs individuals safely in motor vehicles.
These kinds of seats, which will be referred to hereafter as “auxiliary seats” are designed to be used with the motor vehicle's already installed seat belts.
Most motor vehicle seat belts in modern day automobiles use a version of what is known as an “inertia reel” to allow for the seat belt to be extended or retracted by the application or release of an evenly-applied tension force. This allows a rider in a motor vehicle to readily pull out the seat belt from the motor vehicle frame and secure the tongue at the end of the seat belt into a latch attached to the seat. When the tongue is securely locked in place, a person simply releases tension from the seat belt, and the inertia reel takes up any slack into the vehicle frame. Any sudden pressure applied to the seat will not allow the belt to move, because the inertia reel will prevent the belt from extending any further from the vehicle frame due to a sudden force on the belt, such as might be experienced in a sudden stop.
A problem associated with seat belts in today's motor vehicles is that when a person is trying to secure a child or person in an auxiliary seat in the automobile by means of a seat belt, the person needs to pull out, and temporarily have available, an excess length of seat belt while trying to keep the child or person still or in a certain position. The problem is, the seat belt system, because of how it is designed to take up slack in the belt, will be trying to pull in the slack while the person is both trying to secure the seat belt and position the person correctly and comfortably in the auxiliary seat. Trying to perform this operation with only two hands can be cumbersome and frustrating.
A person could try to resolve the problem by pulling out an excess length of seat belt from the motor vehicle frame and to secure it by using their body weight or a heavy object. Using the body weight can make the already cumbersome operation even more cumbersome, while using a weighted object carries with it the problem of remembering to remove the weight from the seat belt so that the motor vehicle seat belt system can pull up the slack in the belt and provide a secure seating arrangement for the child or person in the auxiliary seat. If the person forgets to remove the weighted object, the seat belt has slack and in the event of a sudden stop of the motor vehicle, the person in the auxiliary seat is exposed to danger because they are not properly secured to the automobile.
There exists, therefore, a need for a device and method for temporarily securing a motor vehicle seat belt in its extended position that does not require the use of excess weight.
There also exists a need for a device and method for temporarily securing a motor vehicle seat belt in its extended position that requires a minimum of manipulation.
There further exists a need for a device and method for temporarily securing a motor vehicle seat belt in its extended position that can be used with motor vehicles of all known makes and models.
There further exists a need for a device and method for temporarily securing a motor vehicle seat belt in its extended position that also includes a means to remind the person using the seat belt that the device must be removed from the seat belt, once the child or person has been safely secured in his or her auxiliary seat with the motor vehicle seat belt.
No known device overcomes these problems and provides the advantages of the invention described herein.